Background for Teachers

What is number sense? Number sense is the ability to see the
relationship between numbers and then understand how these
numbers are used in our everyday lives. Number sense is at the core
of all mathematics. Numbers are all around us! Students must have a
way of organizing these numbers so that they are useful in their lives.

How do we teach number sense to our students? We must allow
our students opportunities to explore numbers through hands-on
activities and have them ask lots of questions! We must become their
number coach and give them lots of practice manipulating objects and
numbers. For numbers to become meaningful to students, we must
engage them in the mathematical process.

Intended Learning Outcomes

Instructional Procedures

Invitation to Learn

Share the book Numbers All Around. Have students look around
the classroom. Ask if they can see numbers. Tell them that there
are numbers all around them. All they have to do is take a look and
they will see that numbers are everywhere! Each student is given
a clipboard with the My Number Walk Observation sheet attached.
Students are asked to look around the classroom for numbers. They
are asked to write down the numbers that they see and if possible
draw a picture of the location of that number. Give the students
about 15 minutes to make a quick sweep around the classroom
looking for numbers. Gather the students together and ask them
where they found numbers in the classroom. Make a chart with
the class of all the places that they found numbers in the classroom.
Post the chart and encourage the students to continue looking for
numbers around the room. This chart may be brought out occasionally
and other locations may be added to the chart. Upon completion of
this activity the students are invited to go to number centers.

Instructional Procedures

Center 1: Number Roll and ColorProcedure: Each student will need a Number Roll and Color
recording sheet. Four different colored cubes are placed on the
table. Each cube is numbered from 1-6. Crayons that match the
colored cubes are also on the table. Each student picks up a cube
and rolls it on the table. The student gets the crayon that matches
the color of the cube they have just rolled. On the recording sheet,
they write the number that was rolled and they color in that number
of squares to represent that number. This process continues by
picking up a different colored cube and repeating the procedure
until the recording sheet is complete. Numbers should be written
correctly and the numbered squares should match the written
number on each line. Students can use the red marker to correct their
answers.

Center 2: Ice Cube Tray and BeansProcedure: Each student will have an ice cube tray with numbers
written in each section of the tray. A container of beans is available
for the students in the middle of the table. The students fill each
individual section of the ice cube tray with the number of beans
specified in each individual section. Students should be asked to
check the beans upon completion for accuracy.

Center 3: Stamp-A-NumberProcedure: Each student will receive a Stamp-A-Number recording
sheet. The recording sheet is divided into different sections. A
number is written inside each section of the recording sheet.
Different types of small rubber stamps and stamp pads are located in
the center of the table. Students are instructed in the procedure of
how to use the stamp pads and the small rubber stamps. Students
look at the numeral in each section and stamp that number of
objects. The process is continued until the recording sheet is
completed. Students are then encouraged to go back and count to
make sure that they have the number correct. If students stamp too
many objects, they are to cross out the incorrect stamps with a red
marker.

Center 4: The 0-10 Number Mat

A number mat is made from a shower curtain. There are 11
circles drawn in a line on the shower curtain. Each circle is
then numbered from 0-10 under the individual circles. In
a container, there should be a different type of manipulative
for each individual student (e.g. paperclips, cubes, bugs, tiles,
chips, etc.).

Procedure: Each student counts out the manipulative that they
have selected and places it on the circle with the appropriate
number of objects. The student continues this process until
they have completed the entire number mat from 0-10. The
objects can be placed in any desired circle. This should help
avoid a traffic jam at the mat. Students can stand on all sides
of the mat. Upon completion, the group should count the
manipulatives as a group to see if everyone counted correctly.
The group can make changes if the number of manipulatives
is incorrect. This process can be repeated by students clearing
the number mat and choosing a new manipulative to place in
specific boxes.

Center 5: Toss and Color

A large piece of felt (or several small pieces of felt hooked
together) is divided into 11 sections and the numerals 0-10
are written in individual sections on the felt. Darts are made
from a 4 by 4 piece of cellophane, 1 tsp. of popcorn kernels, a
small rubber band to close the cellophane, and a small piece of
Velcro®.

Procedure: The felt grid is put up on a wall with easy access for
the students. Each student is given one dart for this activity.
Students will take turns throwing their darts at the felt grid.
After each student has thrown their dart, they will get the Toss
and Color recording sheet. Students will then write the numeral
that their dart landed on and color in that number of squares
on the recording sheet. Students can use any color of crayon to
represent the number on the recording sheet. This process is
repeated until the Toss and Color recording sheet is completed.

Extensions

All students can use these centers. Adaptations in quantity of
numbers can be adjusted to meet the specific needs of special
needs students. You might want to keep the number from 0-5.

These center activities should be taught to the whole group and
then placed in a center for the students.

Family Connections

Send home a My Number Walk Observation Sheet to be done at
home.

Math Night- Parents would be invited to make the math
activities for their homes.

Assessment Plan

Attachments

Student watching is the observation and recording of students
interactions during regular instructional activities. This can be recorded on small sticky notes or an Observation Sheetpdf. Make
notes about students that need to be pulled into a small group
for extra help.

Ask probing questions to focus childrens thinking when using
manipulatives.

Have students share their thinking about the activities.

Collect the Number Toss and Color, Stamp-a-Number, and Toss
and Color recording sheets. This will give you time to make an
in-depth assessment of the students number sense.

Bibliography

Mathematical learning in young children is strongly linked to
sense perception and concrete experience. Children move toward an
understanding of symbols, and eventually abstract concepts only after
they have first experienced ideas on a concrete level.

All students need to approach the learning of mathematics by
actively doing mathematics. Through the use of manipulatives,
various senses are brought into play. When students can touch and
move objects to make visual representation of mathematical concepts,
different learning modalities are addressed.

Using manipulatives in combination with other instructional
methods can enrich and deepen students understanding. Appropriate use of concrete materials should be one component of a comprehensive
mathematics education program.

Many math classrooms bustle with manipulative and hands-on
activities, as they should. Yet busy hands dont always mean busy
minds. We need to analyze what we ask our children to do in hands-
on math, and make sure that they are not simply going through the
motions.

Some Guidelines For Planning Hands-On, Minds-On
Math

Dialoguing: Plan for opportunities for students to share their
thinking about hands-on activities through oral and written
communication.